Just ordered a A1 SportsBack, but just wondering if its worth adding on the electric folding mirrors for the £125 book price? I understand they are not automatic and are switch operated, but what's your experience with then? Are they a must have, or waste of money?

If I could fold them in by pressing a button, how often would I do it? Probably always.

Have my mirrors ever been damaged, where it would have been avoided if they had being folded in? Yes - twice. Repair cost more than £125 + time + hassle + feeling crap.

Therefore, for me, they're worth it.

I've thought quite a bit about the automatic part and think it's best that they're not automatic. The A1 is 15cm wider than my current car. When I park the A1 in my garage, the car will be right up against the left wall. If the mirrors unfolded automatically they'd hit the left wall and get torn off when I reversed. Similarly there are times when you're trying to fit through a narrow space, even at several MPH, so you couldn't safely have them auto-unfold based on your speed either.

Last edited by PaleBlueDot on Thu Jan 02, 2014 2:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I like them! It does look really cool when they fold in and out by themselves too!My first car was a rubbish Rover and I had both my mirrors kicked (yes kicked, from the pavement side of the car) off and it was such a hassle to have to replace them.I feel so much more at ease when I can fold them in.They are definitely worth the money in my opinion!

PaleBlueDot wrote:When I park the A1 in my garage, the car will be right up against the left wall. If the mirrors unfolded automatically they'd hit the left wall and get torn off when I reversed.

That would not be a problem. If you fold them manually using the switch, they will not unfold until you turn the switch back.

And if you only use the automatic folding/unfolding, they will obviously be in the unfolded state when you park the car.

If it worked like that, then that would certainly be cool.

I've only experienced automatic folding mirrors once on another brand of car. They folded in automatically when the engine was stopped, and out again when it started. You could press a button to fold them in or out manually, but it didn't remember this. So when you started the engine they always folded out, even if you manually put them in before stopping.

They do work as I described – I have them and have turned automatic folding on. They fold when you lock the car and unfold when you start it unless the switch is in the folded position. The switch is the same one used to adjust the mirrors – turn it 180° and it folds the mirrors, keeping them folded until you turn it back.